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Hi,
I have a new customer who wants to provide two AC voltage single phase supplies to my panel, and is instrucing us to use auctioneering diodes to couple the two supplies "for load sharing and redundancy". I can't convert to DC and couple them because I have equipment in the panel that needs the full AC supply voltage. I am begining to doubt myself to the point where I'm making this post. Has anyone heard of using "auctioneering diodes" to couple two AC supplies? I think maybe he's read this in a book and not fully understood the concept. Or am I missing a trick?

I have a new customer who wants to provide two AC voltage single phase supplies to my panel, and is instrucing us to use auctioneering diodes to couple the two supplies "for load sharing and redundancy". I can't convert to DC and couple them because I have equipment in the panel that needs the full AC supply voltage. I am begining to doubt myself to the point where I'm making this post. Has anyone heard of using "auctioneering diodes" to couple two AC supplies? I think maybe he's read this in a book and not fully understood the concept. Or am I missing a trick?

Thanks in advance.

As I understand it auctioneering diodes permit two or more "DC" supplies to be connected to maintain supply to loads in the event of a failure of one of the supplies.
Unless there have been developments which I am unaware of to provide use in AC systems I think your new customer has misread some sales blurb. Probably your best bet with such a customer is to walk away now.

Auctioneering diodes apparently do exactly a described above ..
"Auctioneering diodes are used in coupling up two or more Power Supply Units so as to ensure a fail safe power source."
just one source of several:-
http://www.amalgen.com.au/dc_power/auction_diode.asp

Just imagine wiring a diode in a 230v ac supply - the load would receive high voltage pulses @ 50hz with a DC component to it - a filament bulb would flicker, a transformer would handle it badly and I suspect a Switch mode psu would just self-destruct !